Miss Julia Lays Down the Law

"It's up to Miss Julia to sort out the murder of a hoity-toity newcomer in the latest addition to the New York Times bestselling series Ann B. Ross's most recent addition to the series, Miss Julia's Marvelous Makeover, was the first to hit the printed New York Times bestseller list, so Miss Julia fans both new and old will be especially keen to get their hands on the next one. The sixteenth in the series, Miss Julia Lays Down the Law is guaranteed to be the steel magnolia's most exciting adventure yet. It's November and Miss Julia is looking forward to some quiet time before the holidays. That is until snobby Connie Clayborn and her rich husband move to town. At first, Miss Julia and the other ladies are pleased to be invited over for coffee, but the afternoon turns into a slap in the face when their hostess spouts nonstop criticism about Abbotsville. Why, how dare she? Days later, Miss Julia decides to confront Connie woman to woman, but when she arrives, Connie is lying on the kitchen floor-lifeless in a pool of blood. Who could have done this? Miss Julia will need to find out fast-particularly because her fingerprints are now all over the crime scene"--

Comment

This was my first experience with Miss Julia, but not with the author (Etta Mae's Worst Bad Day Ever - highly recommended, BTW). She is a delightful elderly lady who gets herself into predicaments in which she finds herself in the middle of a crime scene and has to solve matters for her peace of mind, and to clear her name. Compared to other cozy mystery series that I read and love, this series has a plot that is a bit more spread out (at least 50 extra pages than most), with a lot of abbreviated southern style dialogue. That is what makes it particular, however, and if you can adjust to the slower southern pace, you will enjoy just as much. The plot is tight, the characters are solid, the right information and clues are revealed along the way, but it takes a little more time for all to be well in the end.